Law professor 'verified with Grok' before sharing photo of mural critical of Mamdani's wife
The image of Rama Duwaji appears to have been generated by artificial intelligence.
Science and Technology
A law professor at George Mason University shared an image on social media he described as a real mural in New York City, despite multiple users raising concerns that the image appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.
Adam Mossoff, a professor at the university’s Antonin Scalia Law School, posted the image on X, formerly Twitter, describing it as a mural depicting Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The image shows a large portrait painted on a brick wall with text reading “Hamas Cheerleader,” set against a Manhattan streetscape showing both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.
In the photo, the Chrysler Building appears on the right and the Empire State Building on the left, indicating that the view is looking southward. But the buildings are unusually close together and at an angle that doesn’t match any real street-level view in Manhattan.
In reality, the Chrysler Building sits on Lexington Ave between 42nd–43rd Streets, while the Empire State Building is on Fifth Ave at 33rd–34th Streets — about ten blocks apart and not typically aligned like that from a low-rise street corner.
The text in the image, particularly on street signs and on a yellow taxi in the bottom corners, are garbled.
In replies to other users, Mossoff said he had verified the image’s authenticity using Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot integrated into X. “Grok says it’s real (I asked before posting it),” he wrote.
The post comes amid growing scrutiny over the spread of AI-generated images online, particularly when presented as real-world documentation. Experts have warned that such images can circulate quickly and shape public perception before being verified.
It was not immediately clear whether such a mural exists in New York City.
Urgent Matter has reached out to George Mason University for comment on the post and whether the university has any policies or guidance for faculty regarding the verification of potentially misleading or A.I.-generated content.
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